ALCS Game 5

10/13 - Comiskey Park
White Sox 5, Tigers 3
With the series tied at 2 the pivotal game 5 would decide who has the advantage.  The pitching matchup looked to favor the visiting team with Brian Moehler the hard luck loser in game one going against Gary Peters who hadn't pitched since game 2 of the LDS against the Angels.  Both teams exchanged solo runs in the 1st inning.  Damion Easley doubled home Brian Hunter, who led off the game with a walk, for Detroit's first run.  Tommy Davis lifted a sack fly to center to score Luis Aparicio, who led off the home half of the 1st with a double.  Detroit would take the lead in the top of the third when Deivi Cruz singled home Tony Clark with 2 outs.  After Tommy McCraw tripled with one out in the bottom of the 4th Ken Berry executed a perfect squeeze play to tie the game at 2 each.  A throwing error by Tiger catcher Joe Oliver almost cost the visitors dearly.  Berry was on second with only 1 out, then Pete Ward walked and so did Leon Wagner after Josephson grounded out.  Peters took his turn at the plate with bases loaded and two out with a chance to give himself the lead, which wasn't a far fetched idea considering that Peters is quite good with the lumber.  Peters got a bit anxious and wound up stranding all 3 runners with an easy pop out to Brian Hunter.  A Joe Randa rope to center scored Deivi Cruz for the go ahead run in the top of the 6th.  Peters was taken out in favor of Bob Locker with 2 outs and Brian Hunter coming to the plate.  Hunter would ground out sharply to second to end the inning, but the Tigers now had a 3-2 lead in the middle of the 6th.  Leading off the bottom of the 7th Leon Wagner flew out to Hunter in center.  With Locker due up Bill Melton was called upon to pinch hit.  Melton hit a flare to right center on a 3-2 curve ball from Moehler to reach base.  Aparicio would follow suit with a single of his own and when Sandy Alomar did the same, Melton scored the tying run easily.  Tommy Davis lifted his second sac fly to center of the game to give the Chisox their first lead of the day at 4-3 and a wild pitch 2 batters later would allow Alomar to score a most important insurance run.  Things would not be easy for Don McMahon, who replaced Locker in the 8th.  Deivi Cruz, who went 3-4, doubled to lead off the inning.  McMahon was able to bare down and get the next 3 batters out to escape any damage.  The top of the 9th would see Encarnacion lead off with a single.  This would spell B-Y-E, B-Y-E for McMahon, who gave up  a lead off hit in both innings he worked.  In came Hoyt Wilhelm, who on his first offering got Hunter to bounce one back to the box.  Wilhelm grabbed the ball, pivoted and threw to Alomar who was covering second for a force.  Sandy wasn't content to just cut down the lead runner, so he jumped and threw all in the same motion to first and got the speedy Hunter by a whisker.  Tony Clark represented the final out and on 4 pitches he went down swinging as the Pale Hose took the pivotal game 5 and headed to Detroit needing to win just 1 of the next 2.  Bob Locker would get the win in relief with Moehler taking the loss just like he did in game #1.
White Sox lead series 3-2